it takes skill to get it into first from second. at first i thought there was something that didnt allow shifts, but it just seems that you need to rev match perfectly to do it. so if you are going 30 mph in a gsr you need to spin the engine all the way to 6k to slide it into first... and it just seems weird to downshift that high.

and for you i'd suggewst new tires... a good set of falkens should treat you well